Fountain brush



March 11, 1947. M, w MAGANN ETAL 2,417,370.

FOUNTAIN BRUSH FiledDec. 13, 1944 Patented Mar. 11, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNTAIN BRUSH Merritt W. Magann, St. Louis, and William A.

McElvain, Maplewood, Mo., assignors to Diagraph-Bradley Stencil Machine Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application December 13, 1944, Serial No. 567,922

i (Cl. 15-138) i 10 Claims;

This invention relates to fountain brushes, and with regard to certain more specific features, to valved feed fountain stencil brushes.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a fountain stencil brush in which the control parts of a valve for controlling ink feed, though-operative from the outside, are freely movable but positively protected against leakage and clogging; the provision'of a brush of the class described which has less tendency than usual to vacuum binding; the provision of a brush of the class described which has an improved Operating touch; and the provision of a valved brush of this class which is simple in construction,- easy to assemble and disassemble, reliable in operation and easy to clean. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of the brush;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to parts shown'at the lower end of Fig. 3 but enlarged and showing an open position of a valve;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary Vertical section taken on Iine 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing an alternative form of the invention; and,

Fig. 7 is a fargmentary detail taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1-5, numeral I indicates a main body provided at its normally lower end with a threaded counterbore 3ifor the removable reception of the threaded ferrule 5 of a standard brush assembly 1. Between the brush assembly 1 (including its ferrule 5) and the top of the counterbore is a packing gasket 9. The body is formed as `'a hexagon around the counterbore 3.

The body is also provided with an upper threaded counterbore |3. At the bottom of this counterbore |3 is a seat |5 for a gasket |1. Upon the gasket rests the rim of a downwardly bulged snap-acting spring disc I 9. This disc is normally bulged downward toward a follower pin 2| which is slidable in a hole through the bottom of the counterbore. The pin 2| is chamfered at its lower end where -it is engaged by a conical cam portion 23 of a control stem 25.' The portion 23 acts as a wedge, and the pin 2| as a follower on the wedge' The stem 25 is slidable in a crossbore 21 and for exterior control has a portion extending from the body I Extending inward from the cam portion 23 of the stem 25 is an extension 29, part of which is formed as a collar 3|. This collar forms a sliding alignment guide in the bore i 21 and also, in connection with the pin 2 I, forms an interlock against outward movement of the pln 25. A spring 33, reacting between the end of the bore 21 and the collar 3|, serves to bias the stem assembly outward, but the pin 2| prevents complete outward movement; By pressin'r the stem 25 inward, the cam 23 raises the pin 2| so as to actuate the spring disc |9 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the raised position shown in Fig. 4. The disc 9 tends to snap upper bowed position.

The margin of the disc IQ is held down against the gasket |1 by means of a fiange 35 of a valvesupporting spider 31. The spider 31 is fianged at 38 and threaded for insertion into the threaded counterbore |3 to a point where the flange 35- holds in place the disc |9.

a reservoir cylinder 4| is also threaded into the The lower end 39 of counterbore |3 and seats against the top of the surface of the spider 31. The upper end of this cylinder is closed by a cap 59. A gasket 40 is preferably under cylinder 4| to guard against leakage.

In the center of the spider 31 is a short passage 43 for a valve 4'5 which has a stem 41 engaging the center of the disc |9. This valve is in a counterbore 49 formed in an upwardly extending portion 5|, the latter also forming part of the spider 31. On its outside' the portion 5| 'is made. hexagonal (Fig. l1) .for wrench-engaging purposes. The top of the valve'li is flanged as shown at 53 for seating a compression 'spring 5 5 which at its upperend reacts against a removable cotter pin 51 passing through suitable openings in the' cylinder 5|. The spring 55 normally biases the valve shut (Fig. 2) but when the stem 25 is pushed in the cam 23 lifts the pin 2|, which in turn lifts the center of the disc |9, thus forcing open the valve A5 against the action of the spring 55. Re-

lease of the stem 25 again permits the spring 55 from its lower to its to close the valve, while spring 33 returns the stem 25 to the Fig. 2 position. The collar 3| prevents the stem 25 for springing out of the opening 2,1. The valve 45 has for it's purpose the control of the flow of ink from the reservoir 4| to the brush 1. For this'purpose, multipleopenings: 6|' are provided through the cylinder El above the' opening 43. Below the opening 43 multiple openings 63 are provided in the flange 35. All of the openings 6|, 43, 63 are above the disc |9. V 'I-'husthe disc |9 acts as a solid though flexible diaphragm or dam against escapeofinkto..theme;-` erating pin 2| and stem 2'5.

From passages 63 the ink'i'''1nd`s'its` way tbfthe brush 1 -by way of one of the passages'li shown in Fie'. 5. The plane of the passages''is'perpendicular to the plane of the section shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Thus it is clear that the disc, stem 25 and associated Operating parts are by-passed by the ink and' thatV no packing members are;-

needed i'nassociationi with-the: steml 25'. Hence: thisst'em may be operated freely without leak'- age around the stem. In other words, the fit: between stem 25- andfits openingf21; may'beloose as desired'for a proper touch.

Not only does theinvention provideforbetter touch 'by free action of the stem v25 withoutleakage around it, but: it providesv the: snap action of the disc |9 which* is a tactual signal. that the Val-ve* hasv beenv operatedf to: the. proper extent..

Filling is effected by invertingthe`cylinder'4.|-,.

loading it' with ink. and' then. threa'ding' onto' it the' bodt7 lj while the latter' Ais inverted; Then.

when the brush is turned upright the vparts arev as shown in Fig. 2;' 'By pressingupon: thestem 25 from tim'etotime, the pin .Z'I- is lifted'. to: causel the disc '|:9 to' snap upward into the position shownin Fig. '4iwhereupon a;v charge. of ink. flowsv down. from. the compartment M, through the openings 6|; 43;.63f and through one of thefopenings 65. to the' brush. 1... Since in' general theV Vbrush is operatedi with.: some slight. tilt, most of the -ink will find its wayv down? through only one: of the passagesl and" the other'williact as 'ani inlet for air to break the vacuum formedV 'by escape ofink from the compartment M;

ingiair must allzpas's through the passage 11'3, this passage is short and'easily admits air.. This is not always true: in the; case of'single long' pas-- sages and'iit is for this reason that the. two passagres'ii are used, one Vofwhi'ch will'tend to carry air and the other liquid.

Assembly and' disassembly of; the device .are

quite easy. When empty it may readily be cleaned by unscrewing. the reservoir M and then un'- threading the spider assembly. To facilitatet-his,l the outside of the cylinder i is madehexagonal as above noted and indicated by dott'ed'lines in Fig. 1. Thedisc 'imaytthen vreadily be removed and if necessary'the disc 19' and ga'sket 11 .may`l bereplace'd.V Afterremoval of the 'assembly 31 and. disc: '1.9, the pin 'Ziz may. be released by slightly pushing Vinthe--stem '25* and'` 'turningq the. bod'yf I.

upside down. Pin. 2"! wi'll then drop'out. Vifitl'iV the' pin2'lf removed; the 'stemzl is automatically pushed out of 'thezbooyV i byT means of the spring' The' edge' of' this disc 85 is held and 'sealed in a groove 1-ofra recess-89. Between the pin 8| and the stem 83 is a conical cam 9i.

. Crosswise of the passage 13 and vertically locatedis. a passage 93 at the lower end of which is a'valve seat 95 for a loose valve 'stem 91. The latter has an opening` 95 through it. This openingf i'sl elongate vertically. The valve stem 91 is4 normally b'iasedto the seat 95 by means of compression springv li backed up by a plug N13 Vinwhich is feed. opening m5.

Operation of this alternative form of'the inventionis, brought about simply by pressing upon the disc 85.` Its snap action forces in the stem 83.v and'. causesz the cam' 5 t toV open the. valve to allowl ink to flow to the. brush.. Ink enters the.

opening M15 and. the: valve' 91 is :loose enoughin its. passage. topass ink. around. it.. The 'Springs 11't and: H) i return., the parts-to the closed:p'ositions.y

'when pressure is. releasedv from the snap-acting'.V dise.. Disc. 85r then springsback to the'po'si-v tion', shown in Fig. 6.`

Whilev the z alternativel form of mechanically. simpler thanthe, preferred form,

it doesnot protect. the Operating stem-from the ink.. Howevenitdoes positively assure that there..

willbe` no leakage to the. exterior ofthe device from. around. thestem. Ink only reachesthe eX- teriorthroughthe brush 1"... This. alternative form of theinvention .hasV the 'same desirable operating touchI as the.. preferredform, inview of. the pre.- ferred snap-acting Character of the springgdisoza.

In lieu. of. this. loose fitz of. valve 97|.,V itmay be made with. a tighter. fitl in .the passage 3. and. the valve vertically splinedfor ink flow whileopcn.

.It will he understood that the flexible diaphragms. or .discs 1.9 or Bi'iare generally made. ofv

springI metal, butfthat other material may be.

. which retains liquid, but inthis case the stem 83' and valve 91 are'on the liquid side. of. the diaphragm, instead of on the' opposi'te -side as iny Figs..1-5.

The formV .of the invention showny in. Figs.v 6 and 7 is.. .described and claimed. inour copending U. S. patent application Serial No. 712,5l0,-fi=1ed November 27,V 1946j` for Eountain brush.

In view of the above, itA will be seenthatthe. several objects of the invention are achievedzand other advantageous. results" attained.

Aszmanyf changes. could be made the above constructions 'without' departingv from the scopc. of. the. invention, it. is intended that all: matter' containedf. in. the above description .or shown 'in the. accompanying drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative and not .in -a limiting sense.

We. claim:

1. In a fountam bmsnhavmg a body-'with lat-f tachedreser-voir and. brush,. means: providing' a passage. between .the reservoir and. the. brush, a-

the invention vis valve in the passage, a liquid-tight ldiaphragm in the body capable of movement which is adapted to operate the valve, and operatng means lon the side of the diaphragm opposite the valveand extending to a point exteriorly of the body for actuating the valve through the diaphragm, said diaphragm positively protecting said operatng means from liquid.

2. In a fountain brush having a body With attached reservoir and brush, means providing a passage between the reservoir and the brush, a valve in the passage normally biased toward closed position, a diaphragm in the body capable of movement which is adapted to operate the valve, and cam-actuated Operating means on the side of the diaphragm opposite the valve and reaching to a point exteriorly of the body foractuating the valve through the diaphragm, said diaphragm positively protecting said Operating means from liquid.

3. A fountain brush comprising a body having a brush attached at one end, means at the other end including a seat, a diaphragm resting on said seat, a removable spider assembly holding the margin of said diaphragm to said seat, said spider including a valve seat and a valve, the latter being normally spring-biased to said seat and having a portion adapted to be operatively engaged by the diaphragm to be opened thereby, a reservoir attached to said body and enclosing the spider, the spider and body having passages adapted to lead liquid from the reservoir to the brush Without leading it to the side of the diaphragm opposite its valve side, movable means on the side of the diaphragm opposite the valve for operatng the diaphragm, a movable member for operatng said last-named means, said operatng member extending to a point outside of the body portion for manual manipulation.

4. A fountain brush comprising a body portion having a brush attached at one end and a threaded recess at the other end, a seat at the base of said recess, a fiexible diaphragm resting on said seat, a removable spider assembly threaded into said recess, said spider assembly including a valve seat and a valve, the latter being normally springbiased to said seat in the spider and having a portion adapted to be operatively engaged by the diaphragm to be opened thereby, an axial reservoir threaded into said recess and enclosing the spider, said spider and body portions having passages adapted to lead liquid from the reservoir to the brush without leading it to the side of the diaphragm opposite its valve side, a pin movable in the body and coaxial With the valve and the reservoir, said body having a lateral passage below the diaphragm, a stem in said passage operative from the outside of the body, said stem including a cam cooperating with said pin.

5. A fountain brush comprising a body portion having a brush attached at one end and a threaded recess at the other end, a seat at the base of said recess, a flexible diaphragm on said seat, a removable spider assembly threaded into said recess and holding the diaphragm, said spider assembly including a valve seat and a valve, the latter being normally spring-biased to said seat in the spider and having a portion adapted to be operatively engaged by the diaphragm to be opened thereby, a reservoir threaded into said recess and enclosing the spider, said spider and body portions having passages adapted to lead liquid from the reservoir to the brush without leading it to the outside of the 'diaphragm opposfite its valve'side, a `pin vmovable in the 'body on said outside'of the diaphragm for operatng thelatter, a passage outside the diaphragm, a stem in said passage operative from the outside of the body, said stem including a cam cooperating With said pin, spring meansbiasing said stem so'as lto move the cam away from the pin, and means on the stem engageable with said pin to form an interlock normally to prevent complete movement of the stem from the body.

6. In a fountain brush having a valve control passage between a reservoir and a brush thereon, the passage being constituted by a relatively short single-passage portion adjacent the valve, and relatively longer plural-passage portions from said single-passage portion to the brush, a diaphragm for operatng the valve, an operatng mechanism for the diaphragm on its side opposite that of the valve and operable from the exterior, said diaphragm positively sealing its valve side from its other side, Said plural passages bypassing the diaphragm and the operatng mechanism.

7. A fountain brush comprising a body having a liquid-receiving brush on one side and a liquid reservoir on the other side with liquid passages therebetween, a spring-closed valve controlling the passages, a flexible diaphragm forming a wall of the passages and enclosing the valve on its liquid side, said body including on the other side of the diaphragm a recess extending to the outside of the body, and manually Controlled Operating means extending into the recess from the outside of the body and adapted to actuate the diaphragm to control said valve.

8. A fountain brush comprising a body having a liquid-receiving brush on one side and a liquid reservoir on the other side with liquid passages therebetween, a spring-closed valve controlling the passages, a fiexible snap-acting diaphragm forming a wall of the passages and enclosing the valve on its liquid side, said body including on the other side of the diaphragm a recess extending to the outside of the body, and manually Controlled operatng means extending into the recess from the outside of the body and adapted to actuate the diaphragm to control said valve.

9. A fountain brush comprising a body having a normally downwardly extending brush and an upwardly extending elongate reservoir, said body having passages for liquid extending from the reservoir to the brush, a flexible disc marginally supported With its general plane normal to the length of the reservoir and forming a wall of said passages, an axially movable valve controlling the passage and normally biased toward closed position and having a portion cooperating with the diaphragm Whereby the valve may be actuated from said diaphragm, a movable pin engaging the other side of the diaphragm to operate the diaphragm and thus the valve, said body having a transverse passage, and means movable in the transverse passage for moving said pin and extending from the body for exterior manual operation.

10. A fountain brush comprising a body having a normally downwardly extending brush and a normally upward threaded counterbore for a substantially cylindric reservoir, a snap-acting fiexible disc supported at the base of said counterbore, a spider threaded into said counterbore and having a clamping engagement with the margin of the disc to make the latter liquid-tight,

said Spider' having a. liquid -passage eonnectlng the. reservoiri with the top of the d'apm'agm,v

said body'having a liquid. passage communicating: from. the top of the diaphragm to the brush, an axially movable valve in the Spider, said valve being spring-biased toward: closure and having a part in cooperation withthe diatphragm, an axallyemovable pin below the diaphragm and engageable thereWi-th for operation, and a laterallyv vmovablez control member in. said. body operable from the exteror and having means'cooperating with said pin to move the latter and thus to move the valve. I i

vMERRITT W. MAGANN.

i WILLIAM A. McELvAm. 15

Number i Name Date- 2,087,301 Remnsnider J'u1y`20,/,1935Z 2,236,625 March 'et al Apr. 1,1941 10 2,255,879 Garvey Sept.- 16, 1941 1,534,357 Burnett A-pr. 21, 1925l 1,292,288 Fisher Jan. 21,1919 

